


idle

by dismaltemperament



Category: The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, Awkward Family Reunion, Big Spoilers, Dysfunctional Family, Gen, I REPEAT THERE R OTK SPOILERS, I WANTED THIS TO BE LIKE KUWTK EXCEPT IVE NEVER WATCHED KUWTK, OTK SPOILERS OTK SPOILERS, Rated T for swearing, agatha is august's adopted daughter uwu, also special thanks to sofia who convinced me this wasn't completely unsalvageable, japeth's mascara is gone......, lets say everyone is OOC and call it a day, the romance is foreshadowed at best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25387051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dismaltemperament/pseuds/dismaltemperament
Summary: ONE TRUE KING SPOILERS. BIG SPOILERS. DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU.Rhian's used to the disarray of the Sader household; his mother's yelling fits, his brother's tantrums—it doesn't phase him anymore. He's got his best friend and his hope that one day things will get better and that's all he really needs.But when Rhian's uncle and cousin visit, he's forced to wrestle with the fear of letting others peer into their chaotic world.
Relationships: Agatha & Rhian (The School for Good and Evil), Kei/Rhian (The School for Good and Evil)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	idle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [apollodoro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/apollodoro/gifts).



> happy birthday sof!!! i'll admit i have no idea how to write rhian & kei but i gave it my all. hope u enjoy regardless!

“RAFAL JAPETH GRIMM-SADER.”

Rhian tenses at the sound of his mother shouting. It isn’t directed to him, but he still hates it when she’s like this; stressed to the point of anger, twitchy and defensive.

“THIS DINNER WON’T MAKE ITSELF, YOU KNOW.”

A few rooms over, angry punk-rock starts blaring over the shitty Bluetooth speaker Japeth got for his last birthday.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

Rhian expects Evelyn to blow up, but she actually does quite the opposite. She turns on her heel and gives him a sweet smile as she says, voice disconcertingly saccharine: “Darling, could you go deal with your brother?”

Her makeup is only half-done and her hair’s still in curlers. The smile stretched over her face is fake and painful, enough so that he has to avert his eyes altogether as he responds.

“Of course, Mother.”

He skitters past her and lets out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding once he’s in the hallway. Try to look on the bright side, Rhian: maybe she’ll finish the cooking herself if he takes long enough.

Tonight’s dinner is special in the fact that a fourth person will be joining them for the first time in literal years. Well, two people, actually: Rhian’s Uncle August and his daughter Agatha, hence why Evelyn’s so pressed to make everything perfect. Rhian doesn’t know the details of why that side of the family keeps their distance, but when you’ve shared a home with someone like Japeth Sader for sixteen years, you’re able to fill in the blanks easily.

Speaking of—Rhian stops outside his shared bedroom with Japeth and listens to the furious music that’s still pouring out from behind the closed door. It’s a miracle he hasn’t blown that speaker yet.

The door is unlocked. The first thing he notices upon stepping into the room is the huge pile of dirty clothes sitting in front of the door like some sort of barricade, and he  _ knows  _ it wasn’t there this morning. This is one of the many reasons why he barely spends time in his own bedroom.

Before even so much as addressing Japeth, who’s hanging upside down off the top bunk of their bunk bed ( _ Rhian’s  _ bunk, might he add), he parkours his way over discarded trash and dirty laundry to what could empathetically be referred to as a writing desk and rips the speaker’s cord out of the wall.

“Hey, what the hell—” 

Japeth sits up in one quick gesture and flips around to glare at Rhian. He’s got his phone clutched in one hand and the screen is still on. He’s wearing a My Chemical Romance hoodie and black skinny jeans, face caked with poorly-done goth makeup (Rhian could probably do a better job, not that he ever  _ would _ —). All in all, this is pretty typical of Japeth despite the fact that it’s the middle of May.

“August will be here in less than an hour,” Rhian chides, crossing his arms for good measure. 

“Right, right,” Japeth mumbles as he hops off the bed. “Uncle August and Cousin Agatha, won’t  _ that _ be fun.”

“Hey.” Rhian drops his voice a notch and leans forward. “Can you at least  _ try _ to act civil? You know how much Evelyn cares about this.”

Japeth’s already lost interest in him, opting to tap away at his phone. Distrait, he says, “Yeah, whatever, I’ll be there in a minute.”

Plainly, Rhian says, “You’re wearing her mascara again.”

Japeth’s shoulders tighten and he turns away. “You can leave now.”

Rhian slams the door shut on his way out. 

Then reality catches up to him and for a second he’s afraid Evelyn is going to start yelling again, but all he hears from the kitchen is their pork loin dinner sizzling on the stove. He debates going back to help her cook—it would be the kind, chivalrous, practical thing to do, to help his mother when she’s crushed for time.

Instead, he drops to the ground beside the door and pulls out his phone.

He calls Kei on instinct. Kei’s a go-to for when he’s feeling sad, mad, just plain bored, anything—he’s his best friend and probably the only thing keeping Rhian mentally stable. It’s easy with Kei, everything is; but that’s just how it’s supposed to be, right?

“So either the dinner went horribly and Evelyn’s on a rampage and you need me to come save you,” Kei says absentmindedly as he watches something out of Rhian’s view. “ _ Or  _ Japeth flaked five minutes before and now we need to go hunt him down before your Uncle arrives. Which is it?”

“Neither, actually.” Rhian shifts around against the wall until he’s relatively comfortable and glances back at Kei. “Dinner isn’t for another thirty minutes.”

“Shame. ‘Thought I was gonna have an excuse to get out of this madhouse for the night.”

Rhian knows he’s only joking. Kei’s lived with his foster family since he was eight and gets on pretty well with them, all things considered. Isn’t it funny how strangers unrelated by blood can function in a household together for years, but Rhian’s family can’t handle preparing one measly meal?

“That doesn’t sound too bad, to be honest,” Rhian sighs.

“Alright, what’s up? Talk to me, man.” Kei switches his gaze over to Rhian, something vaguely resembling concern coating his features.

“Just the usual. Japeth’s being a bitch, Evelyn’s stressed, and I couldn’t be more opposed to going into the kitchen right now.”

“August is that bad, huh?”

“Nah. More like we are.”

Kei gives him a look. Rhian grumbles.

“Sorry, sorry. Didn’t call you just to throw a pity party. I…” He hesitates. It’s just Kei, so he has nothing to be embarrassed about, right? These sorts of things are still hard to say aloud, though. They sound pitiful and attention-hungry in Rhian’s head. “I feel really lost.”

Kei doesn’t falter. “That’s the teenage experience, isn’t it?”

“Right, sure. I’m not special. But I’m so unmotivated. What’s the point of doing all this? What will all this shit even account for in the grand scheme of things?” He looks away from the camera and drums his free hand on his thigh.

“Who knows. Probably nothing. But what would be the point of living if we didn’t have the hard stuff filling up our days?”

Rhian leans his head back and shuts his eyes. “Yeah. Of course.”

“Do you want me to come pick you up after dinner?”

Rhian springs back to life. He finds Kei sitting forward, watching him through the screen expectantly. 

“ _ Fuck _ yeah,” he says without thinking. Quietly, he adds: “Uh, please.”

Kei gives him a little half-smile. He starts to say something, but is interrupted by someone off-screen saying his name. He mutes the call so that Rhian can’t hear their conversation. Rhian furrows his brows.

A minute later, Kei unmutes. “Okay, I guess I’m watching football or something? No idea. Gotta go. But I’ll definitely still be there tonight.”

Rhian nods. “Later?” 

“Later.”

He ends the call and spends a few seconds staring at his lock screen. He already feels worlds better than he did ten minutes ago. Being around Kei just does that for him—he’s lucky to have him.

He’s so caught up in his musings that he almost doesn’t hear something crash from inside the bedroom.  _ Almost.  _ He leaps to his feet immediately. 

“Oh, you have  _ got _ to be kidding me.” 

The room looks more or less the same as it did before, minus the small detail of their solitary bookshelf being tipped over. It only held some required reading books from middle school, so that’s not what’s irking Rhian. The issue is that right above the bookshelf is an opened window, and Japeth’s currently perched on it.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Japeth sputters.

Not even a second later, a portion from “Lovesong” by The Cure starts playing from his phone, which is still in his hand. Japeth flinches, no doubt because Rhian is well aware that that’s the ringtone Japeth has set for his juvenile delinquent of a boyfriend. 

“ _ Seriously _ ?” Rhian seethes. “Dinner’s just about to start and you’re sneaking out to see  _ him _ ?”

Japeth sighs. He’s been bested and he knows it, so he hops down from the window, although he doesn’t bother to close it or straighten the bookshelf. He silences his phone and sticks it into his hoodie pocket.

“You make it sound like he’s some sort of criminal,” Japeth grumbles.

“Do I need to remind you of the time we had to go pick him up from the police station because his mom didn’t want a thing to do with him and you needed my car because he  _ wrecked  _ yours?”

Japeth rolls his eyes.

“Or how about when he got busted for committing arson at the local private school, and begged  _ you  _ for fine money?”

“He was framed! There was no proof it was him!” Japeth snaps. “They didn’t even end up pressing charges, so what does it matter?” 

Rhian’s eye twitches. 

Japeth shoves past him as he makes his way to the door. “Look, don’t take it out on me just because you’re still hung up on that private school girl.”

Rhian whirls around. “Do  _ not  _ drag Sophie into this—”

But Japeth’s already gone, and Rhian is alone. 

His arms fall limp to his sides and he sighs.

He might be in the right in this situation, but he can’t help feeling stupid. Like he’s missing something else entirely.

“My husband apologizes for not being able to make it tonight,” August Sader says as he takes a seat across from Evelyn at their perfectly-symmetric square dinner table. “He was caught up with work, I’m afraid.”

Somehow, Rhian doesn’t quite believe that, but he’ll give the man the benefit of the doubt.

He’s stuck sitting next to Japeth, although this table really wasn’t designed to have more than one person on each end. His twin couldn’t look more displeased about this whole ordeal, mascara smudged and temple sweaty as he shovels burned pork loin onto his plate.

Rhian spares a glance at Agatha. She’s the same age as Rhian and Japeth but attends a super-elite, super-exclusive boarding school on the other side of town. Rhian will occasionally see her at church on the off day that Evelyn forces them to show up, but otherwise, the two haven’t spoken since the last time she and August visited.

She’s pretty in a non-traditional sort of way, Rhian supposes. Not the kind of girl he’d go after—he’s interested in her friend Sophie whom she attends church with every week. Agatha was adopted by August and his husband as an infant. This is about the extent of what he knows about her family.

She, too, is wearing a heavy black hoodie despite the warm weather. Rhian briefly wonders if she and Japeth could bond over their lack of fashion taste. 

“Shall we say grace?” Evelyn says as she forcefully snatches up Japeth and Agatha’s hands. She poses it like a question, but it’s obvious it isn’t. Rhian takes August and Japeth’s hands and keeps his eyes glued to the table.

Evelyn then proceeds to go on and on about how thankful she is for this meal and for her family, which is quite hilarious when you think about it. Rhian is almost certain he and Japeth were mistakes. August seems pleased by this, though, and nods along as she speaks. 

It isn’t until Agatha’s stomach noisily rumbles that Evelyn cuts the shit. Agatha begins to apologize, but Evelyn waves her off and laughs this horribly fake giggle that makes Rhian’s insides recoil. She tells everyone to dig in.

Rhian’s about to reach for the asparagus when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He glances around, but no one seems to be paying any attention to him; August and Evelyn are discussing the current political climate of the United States, Agatha is obviously itching to give her two bits but doesn’t want to interrupt, and Japeth is making an act of stabbing his piece of pork with a plastic fork. 

Rhian dumps some food onto his plate, then discreetly pulls his phone out underneath the table.

_ bad news, can’t make it tonight _

Rhian’s heart sinks. It’s Kei.

_ sshiiiit how come?  _ he types back hastily, hitting  _ send _ before he can dwell on it.

_ pops wants to teach me how to play chess. my time has come _

Well, it’s slightly reassuring to know Kei won’t be up to anything more interesting than him. He types out something half-hearted before tucking his phone back away.

He picks at the overcooked meal for a bit, tuning in and out of the conversation between Evelyn and August and speaking only when asked to. 

And then August, in this innocent and obnoxiously unaware way, asks: “Will Rafal be joining us for dinner by any chance?” 

Of course he doesn’t know. How could he? Nobody in this family ever _fucking_ _communicates with each other,_ but Rhian still let himself believe that maybe, just _maybe,_ they wouldn’t have to discuss this tonight. Nothing’s ever that simple, is it?

He watches Evelyn sit up straighter, and can’t help noticing the way Japeth’s posture shifts too. Agatha seems to pick up on the change of mood and sends Rhian a curious glance from across the table.

“Rafal…?” Evelyn says her husband’s name slowly as though she’s confused. They all are, but August doesn’t seem to realize it.

“Yes, quite. I couldn’t help but notice his car parked in the driveway.” Wonderful observation, August. Did you also  _ notice  _ that the man’s nowhere to be seen for the entirety of your stay?

Rhian bites his lip. Should he interject? He might make things worse, but he doesn’t want to risk his mom freaking out and ruining the rest of dinner. What’s worse, being the bearer of gross fucking news or letting Evelyn Sader have one of her legendary meltdowns in front of the only people still willing to interact with his family?

Yeah, no, that first option is definitely better. Rhian opens his mouth—

“He’s in jail,” Japeth says.

Rhian’s jaw snaps back shut. 

He whips around, giving Japeth a heated look—surely there was a better way to go about that. At least the dumbass has enough sense to look ashamed; he shields his eyes from the harsh stares of everyone else at the table.

Rhian peeks at Agatha. Her eyes are wide and she’s looking straight ahead. She’d obviously rather be anywhere else right now and Rhian doesn’t blame her one bit.

“Ah,” August says, folding his hands together. “My apologies. I wasn’t aware.”

Evelyn immediately starts blabbering something about August’s own husband, asking how he’s been ( _ great subject choice, Mom)  _ and everything goes back to normal. Well, as normal as it can be in the Grimm-Sader household. Agatha seems more uncomfortable than ever. Japeth’s now depressed  _ and _ embarrassed. Evelyn looks as though death would be preferable to having this conversation, but at least she’s smiling.

Rhian forces himself to swallow a slice of pork. It’s gone cold and tastes like nothing short of rubber. 

Can this night get any worse?

And then his phone buzzes. Almost instantly, warmth floods the pit of his stomach. 

He slumps over again and unlocks his phone. Two new messages from Kei are waiting for him: 

_ did you know theyre making a new fast and furious?? because i didnt. wtf _

_ no balls. we r going to see this as soon ur mom lets u out  _

And despite everything, he smiles.

Approximately an hour and a half later, Rhian runs into Agatha on the roof of his house.

He doesn’t come up here often, only when the house gets too suffocating to bear and he can’t drop by Kei’s place for whatever reason. He didn’t realize anyone else knew about the loose roof shingling in the attic. 

She doesn’t notice him immediately, eyes on her phone screen as she types out a message. He glances at it over her shoulder and says, “Tedros, huh?” 

Agatha jumps at the sound of his voice and slams her phone against her chest. Rhian walks around her and takes a seat farther down the roof. 

“That your boyfriend or something?” he asks with a hint of bitterness.

“Yes, actually,” Agatha spits back defensively, almost like she’s offended by the implication of his question. 

She goes back to texting. He gazes around at his neighborhood, the same dank place he’s been stuck in his entire life. It never changes. It never improves. No one ever moves in, and only occasionally will someone move out. There’s no secret smoke hole to go hang at. There’s no haunted house with swarms of urban legends surrounding it. It’s just Rhian’s boring little neighborhood in his boring little life.

(He should’ve asked his mom if he could invite Kei over before this all happened, but whoop dee do, he didn’t think that far ahead.)

The stars are visible tonight, the only source of light outside. Faintly, Rhian can still hear Evelyn and August talking in the sitting room below. 

He turns to face Agatha. He can make out certain details in the moonlight; her hunched shoulders and the way they bounce with silent laughter every time her phone chimes.

“Sorry,” Rhian mumbles, quietly enough that for a second he thinks she didn’t hear him. When she raises her head, he adds, “Not about the boyfriend thing. Just because my family is… you know.”

“A disaster?” she finishes.

“Pretty much.” He leans back. 

She drops her phone into her lap and gives him a look. He might not be able to see her face, but he can read the body language. 

Softer, he says, “I mean, we’re cousins, for crying out loud, and yet we barely have a relationship. I can’t remember the last time we spoke one-on-one.”

Agatha mulls this over. After a beat, she says, “Sorry about your dad, man.”

“Don’t be,” Rhian says quickly. “He’s a piece of shit. Got what he deserved.”

He doesn’t elaborate, and she doesn’t ask him to.

Instead, she says, “I saw Japeth sneaking out through the kitchen window after dinner. Should I be concerned?”

“Nah, he’s just going to see his boyfriend.” And since they’re apparently playing 21 Questions now, he asks, “How did you know how to get up here?”

“Japeth tried to push me off the roof once.”

Rhian makes a noise between choking and laughing. That’s normal Japeth behavior, of course, but it’s rare that he goes off on anyone that isn’t Rhian or their mother—should he apologize? Ask if she’s alright?

But instead he says, “That’s Japeth for you,” and she just snorts. 

They sit in silence. He watches the stars, and he assumes she does something of the same caliber as he doesn’t see the glow of her phone come back on.

She’s going to go home in the morning and they’re going to pretend this didn’t happen. She’s going to go back to her boarding school and he’s going to meet Kei outside their school five minutes before classes start. Maybe he’ll see her at church this weekend if he decides to go. Eventually, they’ll forget this happened. 

They aren’t friends. They don’t have deep talks about life and love. They’re just cousins due to numerous unfortunate circumstances.

But he can’t stop himself from saying, “You’re alright, Agatha” a few minutes later, and he can’t help smiling when she says, “You’re not so bad yourself.”


End file.
